**Spoiler Alert** Whereas other volumes in the “World of Flashpoint” series have contained four separate stories, The World of Flashpoint featuring Wonder Woman consists of four much more closely related stories. The first two feature Wonder Woman and Aquaman, respectively, so we see the war that is tearing apart the world from both perspectives. The third story explains how Lois Lane, reporter, ends up in the UK working for the Resistance. The final story features an odd villainous character known as The Outsider.

In the Wonder Woman story, Princess Diana meets King Arthur of Atlantis – and the two plan a royal wedding as a way to merge their kingdoms for the betterment of the world. Diana even offers to let the marriage be one of convenience and appearances only – allowing Arthur to be with Mera his love. But unfortunately for them, and the world at large, Prince Orm, Arthur’s brother has Diana’s mother killed during the wedding. Orm and Penthesilea, Diana’s aunt, even frame Arthur’s ward, Garth for the crime. This starts the war between Atlantis and Thermyscira.

Every time one side or the other proposes peace or even seems to think of ending the war – either Orm or Penthesilea does something to blame the other side, to make the situation worse, and to continue the war – with hapless humanity in the crosshairs between the two titans of Atlantis and the Amazons. Aquaman sinks half of Europe when his wife, Mera, is killed during a peace conference in Vienna – unaware that it was Orm who killed her. In retaliation, at Penthesilea’s suggestion – the Amazons destroy Thermyscira, then invade the UK and raise it to new heights, towering above both the ocean and Europe at the cost of millions of lives.

Finally, Diana discovers that Penthesilea has been torturing and experimenting upon the humans she’s captured and put in concentration camps – in addition she’s also working with Orm to promote war. Diana is angered by what she discovers and goes to explain all to Arthur, exposing the manipulation for what it is. Arthur, to his credit, does actually believe her – until his entire fleet is blown up (by Orm – but he doesn’t know that). Aquaman becomes determined to make Wonder Woman pay for her final betrayal.

The Aquaman story also tells in flashbacks the story of Arthur’s early beginning – how his father met AtLanna, his mother, and how later he was stolen away to Atlantis to be the prince.

By showing the war from both Diana’s point of view and Arthur Curry’s point of view – the reader is able to really understand the conflict and see exactly what has brought Wonder Woman and Aquaman to their positions of destroying the world. That the two had wanted to join together to be a force for peace, for good, for enlightenment, and for making the world a better place – only to have that plan snatched away by “warriors” who only understand destruction and only want war – makes the story that much more tragic. Diana and Arthur could have brought about a “Golden Age” – instead Orm (whom DC comics readers know as “Ocean Master” one of Aquaman’s deadliest foes) and Penthesilea decide that war is “better” than peace, that as “warrior cultures” supporting peace and a better world is “the coward’s way”, etc. They practically accuse Diana and Arthur of “singing Kumbaya and growing flowers”. If this sounds familiar it should. The real villains here aren’t Aquaman and Wonder Woman for all the completely terrible things they do and the deaths they cause. The real villains are Orm and Penthesilea who manipulate two great cultures into a war – and cause the deaths of millions. Orm and Penthesilea call themselves cowards and also call Diana and Arthur weak “peacemongers” – but it is the two traitors who are weak. They are the ones who lack the vision of a better world.

“Lois Lane and the Resistance” starts with Lois on the phone with Perry White from Paris Fashion Week complaining about doing fluff pieces rather than real reporting. Well, be careful what you wish for, because Lois is right there when Paris and half of Europe are flooded. Lois sees Jimmy Olsen get killed and is transported to the former UK by the Amazons, but not before discovering that the “camera” Jimmy gave her before being swept away was actually made by Cyborg and was a link allowing Jimmy to report in as an agent. Lois agrees to work for Cyborg. Lois’s diary as a prisoner of the Amazons shows just how horrifying the conditions are. Yet it’s Lois who exposes Penthesilea to Wonder Woman who didn’t know what her Aunt is doing. Lois makes a desperate broadcast from the prison. She’s then rescued by the Resistance, led by Grifter (who looks a lot like Red Hood in costume, but remember Jason Todd is a priest in Gotham), and including Lady Godiva, Britannia, Canterbury Cricket and Hyde. Despite a betrayal by Hyde’s alter ego, Bobbie Stephenson a woman who’s gone over to the Amazons to be cured of Hyde, the Resistance and Lois are able to get Britannia her Mark 2.0 battle suit. Lois’s story ends with her broadcasting what’s going on, and the Resistance fighting the Furies (Wonder Woman’s most deadly troops).

“The Outsider” is the most unusual story in the collection. “The Outsider” is from India, yet his skin is greyish-white and looks like stone. He’s an unsavory businessman with his hands in every illegal business there is, and a manipulator of currencies, raw materials, jewels, metals, and just about everything else. He has no qualms about killing to get what he wants. He’s pretty much as evil as Lex Luthor, with none of the “charm”, and works on a global scale. The story also mentions Blackout, whom “The Outsider” want to use as a power source for India, Black Atom – now the ruler of Pakistan, and an awesome surprise – J’onn J’onzz – the Martian Manhunter, and The Outsider’s plaything who strikes back. It’s a surprising story, but though it’s told from The Outsider’s perspective he’s an utterly unempathetic character who one cannot identify with, even with his background explained.

The World of Flashpoint featuring Wonder Woman is the one Flashpoint novel you must read if you only read one of the extra novels – it gives the deepest background for Flashpoint and takes place directly before that story. Although the Flash isn’t in the novel at all, it sets the stage and explains what is going on and what this world is that Barry has woken up in. Highly, highly recommended.

The World of Flashpoint featuring Superman is another volume in the World of Flashpoint series that fleshes out the characters and situations from Flashpoint, explaining in greater detail this alternate view of the DC world we know, created when Barry Allen travels back in time to save his mother. This volume also features four stories.

The Superman story is definitely the strangest of the bunch – and the focus of this volume is the more mystical aspects of the DC universe. The Superman story features Lt. Sinclair, recruited by General Lane (Lois’s father) to become a super-soldier. But Sinclair is a bit unbalanced before he starts the process and the experiments, drugs, and torture only make him worse. At the same time, the being who would be Superman is a small child – who is tortured, experimented upon, and abused. We even see Krypto the Super-dog, as well as what happens to him. Sinclair, meanwhile, develops strong mental powers, influencing Project S 1 (Flashpoint’s “Superman”). Both Sinclair and Project S escape, but Sinclair goes on a rampage. Project S also meets General Lane’s young daughter, Lois. When they escape, both Sinclair and Project S head to Europe to join the fray.

The next story, “World of Flashpoint”, features a character I couldn’t pin down as being a version of a known DC character – a magic user known as Traci 13. But she was fascinating and I really enjoyed her story. 13 is, as I said, a magic user. Her mother was a precog – who dies during the Atlantean attack on Europe. This creates a rift between her and her father (who becomes the leader of H.I.V.E.). Her father blames her for her mother’s death (to be precise for not preventing it) and tells her to not use magic. Traci 13 uses magic anyway, especially her teleporting ability. She meets with a fortune teller in New Orleans who becomes a good friend.

The fortune teller sends her on a mission to find other people to assist in the fight for Earth. This gives a wider view of what’s going on in the Flashpoint world – Red Tornado and his android brothers and sisters protect Japan but want nothing to do with the rest of the world; Nat Irons in Brazil leads a group fighting the Nazis who have taken over the country; Guy Gardner has found Buddism, let go of his anger, and opened a bar in Australia; and Jason Todd is a priest in Gotham. Although none of these people can help in Traci’s fight – Traci returns to H.I.V.E. and finds her father has primed the weapon that will take out New Themyscira and Atlantis – despite projected casualties in the billions. Traci 13 tries over and over to talk her father out of the destruction. Her father, who’d preached against the use of magic – is revealed to be a strong magic user who is soaked in dark magic. But Traci manages to finally get through to him. He makes a tremendous sacrifice, but Traci also manages to save him. It’s a great story with a lot of levels to it – especially as these aren’t characters we “know” at all. That Traci is a magic user reminds me a bit of Zatanna but Traci’s magic is different and far stronger. Her teleporting ability is also something we’ve seen a few times in DC characters.

The next story is Booster Gold’s story. Booster is the same guy we know – and, as a time traveler he knows the Flashpoint world is wrong. Booster, tries to figure out what is going on, and he’s not helped by the military strike team “Sea Devils” who are convinced he’s an Atlantean and keep trying to kill him and the woman with powers that he picks up as an ally. This story may be integrated with the graphic novel Time Masters: Vanishing Point.

The last story is “The Canterbury Cricket” – what happens when a former con man is turned into a giant cricket? This story tells us. Canterbury Cricket joins a number of bug-themed heroes in the Resistance. This story is short, and focuses more on Cricket’s back story, but it’s fun and an enjoyable read.

Other than the Superman story which was both confusing and very sad, this volume was excellent. I liked all four stories, even the Superman one, I just found that story to be sad. Booster’s story is great – I always like Booster Gold stories. Traci 13 is an awesome superhero in her own right, and intriguing as a new character. Even Canterbury Cricket, though that story is quite short, is something very different as both a hero and as a story.

The World of Flashpoint Featuring Green Lantern is one of a series of graphic novels that flesh-out the characters introduced in Flashpoint the alternative-universe story in which Barry Allen (the Flash) changes time – much to the the detriment of the world – by saving his mother. As with other graphic novels in this series, this one features four stories.

The first story is the story of Abin Sur Green Lantern of Earth – and I loved it. Abin Sur survives crash landing on Earth, so Hal Jordan never gets the Power Ring. Yet the story gives a great back story for Abin Sur, introduces his planet, and has an awful lot about Sinestro too. The Green Lantern Corps is trapped in a war on two fronts against the Black Lanterns on the one side (yes, Blackest Night not only is still happening but it happens simultaneously to Flashpoint) and the Manhunters on the other. As if having two of the worst Lantern enemies tearing the universe apart isn’t enough, Sinestro decides to interrogate Atroicious – which goes about as well as you’d think. The Guardians, being rather concerned with the state of the Universe also only send Abin Sur to Earth for a simple “find-and-retrieve” mission. Abin Sur, who it turns out, is a really nice guy, gets involved in the mess that is Flashpoint Earth. Sinestro tracks him down and well… things happen that I really don’t want to spoil. Needless to say it’s both satisfying and a great story that in a way makes you sad that Abin Sur died in the “real” DC Universe.

“Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown” – This story would make for a great movie on it’s own. During World War II, a scientist discovers a way to turn normal soldiers into the great gothic creatures of Victorian fiction. The main characters would have all died without some form of treatment, including the scientist’s own daughter, who now resembles the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Also in the group are Frank (Frankenstein’s “Monster”), a werewolf, and a vampire. These “creatures” win the war for the Allies, but after the war they are moth-balled in storage. With Flashpoint, the group escape or are released. There’s a considerable amount of flashbacks and flash forwards to explain who the characters are, and where they came from as they search first for Nina’s father and later to find where she and the rest came from. The story has a great feel to it and mixes the modern and the gothic really well.

“Green Arrow Industries” presents us with an Oliver Queen, CEO of defense firm, Green Arrow Industries who’s precisely the opposite of the Oliver Queen we know from the normal DC Universe. This Oliver resembles the pre-Ironman Tony Stark in more than one way. Oliver steals alien technology, meta-human DNA, super abilities, even weapons like Heatwave’s and Citizen Cold’s guns and weaponizes them, then sells them to the highest bidder. His defense plants start in the US, but he’s recently outsourced them over seas to make even more money. This Oliver has eight children (at least) from various wives and girlfriends and knows none of them. It’s even his own daughter who comes after him for not thinking of the consequences of his actions.

“Hal Jordan” tells the story of what would happen to Jordan without the ring. Now a fighter pilot, still in love with Carol, totally unable to be serious enough to tell her so, and basically a guy who acts like Tom Cruise in Top Gun (not a compliment) Hal is a mess. Although Hal is still a hero in that he, and Carol (also a fighter pilot) are fighting hard in the losing war to save Earth from the Amazon-Aquaman war; Hal needed the steadying influence of the Green Lantern Corps and the ability to be part of something greater to lose his innate selfishness. Hal does, though, volunteer to drop the Green Arrow Industries untested bomb on the Amazons. If you’ve read Flashpoint you know how successful that was.

This is a great graphic novel. The art is consistently excellent. The stories are also a fascinating glimpse into what “might hav been” thanks to Flashpoint. For readers of the series it’s a must read.

The World of Flashpoint is a series of graphic novels that flush out Flashpoint giving the reader more details and greater depth to the alternate universe characters that we briefly met in Flashpoint after Barry Allen changes time to save his mother and creates a disastrous and apocalyptic world. This novel contains four stories. I liked two of the four, so it’s hard to even rate the book – the two good stories that of “Citizen Cold” and that of Kid Flash – Bart Allen I’d rate at 4. But the Gorilla Grood story I’d rate at 2 and the prison break story I’d rate at 2 or 3.

The first story in this collection is about Citizen Cold – the hero of Central City. Yet Leonard Snart is the same cold so-and-so we see as a villain. He’s killed villains – and anyone who might discover his secrets alike (including Wally West). He has a thing for Iris, and he’s desperate to save his sister who’s being held captive by the Rogues Gallery. And Cold’s Rogues, though similar or the same as the Flash’s Rogues that we know, are terrified of Cold. Cold’s a fascinating protagonist. He’s not precisely good. And he’s not out and out evil. And the way Snart is written in this story, reminded me very much of the way he’s played by Wentworth Miller in CW’s series Legends of Tomorrow, since this graphic was originally published in single-magazine form in 2011 and as a compilation in 2012, perhaps it did inspire the CW character. Also the art for the story is really excellent.

The second story, “Legion of Doom” is, essentially a prison break story. Remember the evil helmet headquarters of the Legion of Doom, the anti-justice league from Superfriends? In this story, it’s a prison for super-powered villains, and criminals without super powers but who are deemed too dangerous to be held in regular prisons. It’s the Flashpoint universe’s Belle Reve. Heatwave is taken into the prison, where he spends time learning how it works. He then pairs with a totally out of his head Plastic Man to stage his escape. They also fly the dark-helmet Doom prison to Detroit to destroy the place so Heatwave can have his revenge on Cyborg. None of this made any sense to me – but the Legion of Doom is not something in DC comics that I’m super aware of in terms of comics history. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the story. While Captain Cold is someone that isn’t exactly heroic to say the least, one can have some sympathy for his feelings of protectiveness for his sister. Heatwave has no redeeming factors at all, so there’s no one to engage you as a reader in this story.

The third story is “Grood of War” – the telepathic, talking, super gorilla has conquered Africa, with Capetown South Africa the last to fall (of all places). Grood’s lieutenant wonders what they will do next, and Grood plans a personal trip to Capetown to inspect the governmental facilities his troops have conquered. On the way there, the caravan is attacked. Grood and his troops destroy the attacking humans, all but one young boy. Grood however, rather than killing the boy, tells him that “he wants him to live, to spend his whole life hating him [Grood], planning to kill him, and when you’re ready – come find me and do it.” Even stranger, when his lieutenant says, “What next?” after Grood examines what’s left of Capetown, Grood announces they will invade Europe. Yet Grood says he hopes they will be destroyed. Why is the telepathic ape so suicidal? No one knows – it’s not explained. This was a weird story, and I found it difficult to follow.

“Kid Flash Lost” I really enjoyed – it features Bart Allen as “Kid Flash” (but he’s described as an “Impulsive” young man, and Hot Pursuit. Bart wakes from a virtual reality prison of sorts and finds himself on an alien spaceship belonging to Brainiac who’s taken over the Earth in Bart’s time. Bart is shocked – this isn’t his time. But he and Hot Pursuit (Patty Spivot) have to figure out what’s going on. When Patty dies, Bart realizes the best he can do is go back in time to see that none of this happens – and thus everyone will be saved, including the future he knows. Bart travels to the past and meets Windrunner in the Old West, but when Windrunner reaches out to him, he’s destroyed and Bart jumps forward. Bart arrives in Jay’s time – but he’s been murdered. He also arrives at a cemetery only to see Iris mourning the recently dead Wally West. But then Bart realizes the Speed Force is propelling him forward so he can reach Barry – and as the White Flash, pure Speed Force energy, he can urge Barry to put things right and save everyone. In the end, Bart sacrifices even himself to help Barry make it.

Again, the first and last story in this collection were good, and the last one, especially was really good. But I wasn’t as impressed with the other two.

**Spoiler Alert** This book takes place in DC Comics alternate Flashpoint Universe – in Flashpoint Barry Allen has gotten fed up and travels back in time to prevent the murder of his mother. Or so the Reverse Flash claims (see Flashpoint or the animated DC film Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox). This has had a cascading Butterfly Effect – changing everything to the point where the world will be destroyed in a war between Aquaman and the Atlanteans and Wonder Woman and her Amazon Sisters. The World of Flashpoint series goes into details about the main characters we meet in The Flash: Flashpoint. Flashpoint featuring Batman consists of four stories of three parts each. These are: “Knight of Vengeance”, “Deadman and the Flying Graysons”, “Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager”, and “Secret Seven”.

In “Knight of Vengeance”, Thomas Wayne is Batman – following the murder of his son Bruce; and his wife, Martha who became the insane Joker. He also runs Wayne Casino and literally owns Gotham’s private security force (which has replaced the police). The Security Force’s top man is James Gordon. Joker has kidnapped Harvey Dent’s two children. She arranges things so that Gordon accidentally shoots and kills the young boy – and then kills Gordon. Batman goes after Joker, but having already met with Barry – he knows there’s a better world. He tells Martha there’s a world where their son survived, and they need to sacrifice themselves for that world to exist. Martha runs from Thomas falls off a cliff onto a stalagmite and dies. The Batman story was very good, but tragic.

In “Deadman and the Flying Graysons”, Dick Grayson is an acrobat and flyer in Haley’s Circus, with his parents, John and Mary. Also in the circus is Deadman – an aerialist who flies without a catcher, using wires, and also the mysterious Helmet of Fate. They are trapped in Europe by the war – and hunted by the Amazons who want their helmet back. The circus is constantly on the move, but they are tracked down. Mary Grayson is shot as she takes her bows at the end of a show. As the circus tries to escape, John is shot down as well. With his dying breath, he gets Deadman to promise to watch over Dick. When Deadman is later killed – his ghost watches over Dick.

This was my favorite story of the four – I loved the idea that Dick’s parents, at least, survived. Though it turns out to be “not for long”. Bringing in Deadman was an interesting touch. And, although I would have liked to see more with Doctor Fate, I found it fascinating that the Helmet would end-up in the care of someone who had no idea how to use it.

“Curse of Ravenger” was my least favorite story of the bunch. Deathstroke is a pirate, searching the seas for his kidnapped daughter. I’ve never liked Deathstroke, and making him a pirate just makes him less likable, even with his “noble” cause of trying to find his daughter. Note that one of Deathstroke’s new metas on his crew is a girl, Jenny Blitz, with Firestorm-like powers.

The last story is definitely the weirdest. “Secret Seven” features the more magical/mystical heroes of this universe. But six of them are dead, and when The Changing Man (looks like Firestorm – different powers), tries to gather a new group of seven, he’s kidnapped by Sagan Maximus of Neta Hightable to be “rationalized” – this process is interrupted. Yet again, the seven are nearly all killed, except for Abrakadabra who calls a press conference to reveal the names of the Seven, and a traitor who is working for the Amazons.

Overall, the graphic novel is worth getting, especially if you want more background on the various alternate-characters in Flashpoint.

I have seen the Warner Brothers Animated DC Universe film of this graphic novel (Review of the animated Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox film), so many of the “shocking” scenes were expected – and I was actually surprised how closely the animated film adapted the graphic novel. There were a few bits here and there that were in the novel but not the film (and the fate of Krypto the Super-dog was very upsetting), but overall, point for point it’s the same story.

That said, though – what a story! Flashpoint is a major twist in the DC Universe, especially post the modern age and just prior to Final Crisis and New 52. This tale, hovers between the two. Barry Allen here is a Classic Barry Allen with his classic red suit with lightening bolt motif. Surprisingly, one of my criticisms of the film – is actually how the book works, Barry literally wakes from having fallen asleep at his desk at the Central City police department, only to discover is mother is alive and the world’s gone to, well, things are not going well – at all. Barry has to figure out this new world, before confronting Professor Zoom, aka Reverse Flash – who blames Barry for the entire mess. In the end, Barry, being Barry runs back in time and stops himself from changing time.

But after his success – he visits Bruce Wayne, tells him everything, then delivers a letter. Bruce opens the letter then collapses. Barry helps him to his chair in the Batcave – and Bruce cries as he reads the letter written to him from the alternate-universe Batman, his father, Thomas Wayne. It’s a poignant and stirring moment.

Flashpoint is a ground-breaking comic for The Flash – it sets off a wave in the DC Universe, and the new Rebirth series starts where Flashpoint ends. I highly suspect Rebirth will Retcon away New 52 (good riddance I say), though popular new characters such as Cyborg and Harley Quinn will probably survive the transition.

The art in Flashpoint is amazing, especially the full-page splash pages. The confrontation between Barry and Reverse Flash looks amazing (tho’ I still do not quite buy Reverse Flash’s explanation – how would Barry saving his mother cause Kal-El’s rocket to land on Gotham City rather than a farm in Kansas? Why would Barry’s actions cause a deadly love triangle between Arthur Curry (Aquaman) his one-time wife, Meara, and Wonder Woman? And why would Diana have an affair with Arthur in the first place? Besides – a woman scorned causes a war? How “Face that Launched 1000 Ships” of her.) Still, even with those faults the story is incredible – and the art is even better (one area where the animated film falls way short).

I have to recommend Flashpoint – for one thing, it seems to be integral to the new Rebirth series that’s rebooting DC and bringing back the classic feel.